Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 21:48:17 -0600 From: Brad Knowles <brad.knowles@skynet.be> To: Harry Tabak <htabak@quadtelecom.com> Cc: dever@getaclue.net, freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Bystander shot by a spam filter. Message-ID: <a05200f08ba3571419de6@[10.0.1.5]> In-Reply-To: <3E0E5A93.4060108@quadtelecom.com> References: <3E0DAAF3.7090103@quadtelecom.com> <20021228130209.A79151@getaclue.net> <3E0E5A93.4060108@quadtelecom.com>
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At 9:14 PM -0500 2002/12/28, Harry Tabak wrote:
>> Any server admin who chooses to use some sort of blocking list
>> understands the risks involved - that clean mail may get rejected
>> with the dirty. If someone chooses to run a blocking list, they
>> should be aware of the consequences of each list. That said, once
>> they decide to do so, they do not have to accept your mail - it is
>> their server, after all.
>
> Not necessarily. The implication in the literature is that the
> false-positive rate is low.
The false-positive rate is relatively low for most black lists,
but low != none. It is not possible to have a black list with a zero
false-positive rate, because anything you could possibly select on
could theoretically be used by an innocent person.
The trick with a black list is to set the system up so that it
has a "low enough" false-positive rate, and a "high enough" false
negative rate. However, what is "low enough" or "high enough" for
you may be totally inappropriate for me.
All server admins should fully understand these issues when they
subscribe to a given black list. Any that do not will run the risk
of having criminal negligence charges filed against them. Indeed,
many that do fully understand these issues will run the risk of
having criminal negligence charges being filed against them.
--
Brad Knowles, <brad.knowles@skynet.be>
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania.
GCS/IT d+(-) s:+(++)>: a C++(+++)$ UMBSHI++++$ P+>++ L+ !E-(---) W+++(--) N+
!w--- O- M++ V PS++(+++) PE- Y+(++) PGP>+++ t+(+++) 5++(+++) X++(+++) R+(+++)
tv+(+++) b+(++++) DI+(++++) D+(++) G+(++++) e++>++++ h--- r---(+++)* z(+++)
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